Building block and structure made therewith

ABSTRACT

A building block which is adapted to be employed in the formation of walls and the like of a building structure and which is so shaped as to interlock with one another to enable the same to be employed in this environment without the use of any adhesive or mortar but relying on the forces of gravity to retain the blocks in their assembled elation to one another.

llhited States Petenl Mnrtines 5] llielh. 22, 1972 [54] BUILDING BLWCIM AND S'JTWUC'NJRE 3,511,005 5/ 1970 Macmaster ..52/293 A HE ll'll" M NE T NEW M FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLlCATlONS 72 t l1 ti .0. l 1 @323??? P 362 9,503 10/1902 Austria ..52/590 557,823 5/1923 France ...52/590 [22] Filed: Jan. 211, 1970 1,145,789 5/1957 France ..52/245 [211 App No, 6 m5 35,180 4/1886 Germany ...52/245 Primary Examiner-Alfred C. Perham [52] US. Cl. ..52/262, 52/282, 52/590, Attorney-Frank P. Cyr

52/609 [5]] 1m. Cl. ..EMc 11/1111 [57] ABSTRACT [58] meld M Search 4 63 A building block which is adapted to be employed in the formation of walls and the like of a building structure and which is so shaped as to interlock with one another to enable the [56] References cued same to be employed in this environment without the use of UNITED STATES PATENTS any adhesive or mortar but relying on the forces of gravity to retain the blocks in their assembled elation to one another. 1,061,798 5/1913 Yourtee ..52/91 3,229,432 1/1966 Renfro ..52/293 5 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures WZWWU FEB 2 2 W? SHEH' 11. 0F 3 INVENTOR CHA HLES MAHTl/VEZ ATTORNEY FEB 2 2 m2 3 v 6 3 9 2 SHEET 3 or 3 N VENTOR CHARLES MART/N52 BUILDING BLOCK AND STRUCTURE MADE TIIIIERIEWIITH BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In order to describe the present invention, an exemplification is set forth with particular reference to a concrete or cinder block commonly employed in erecting building structures and the like. The employment of concrete or cinder block in erecting walls or the like has been employed in the building industry for many years and such has been found to be ideally suited to form such walls. However, in the employment of such blocks, it is customary to employ some sort of adhesive between the courses of blocks, such as mortar and the like to help retain the blocks in their proper position. As presently constructed, such blocks are usually rectangular in shape and are usually laid one on top of another with mortar or other adhesive material therebetween. Generally, such blocks are provided with some type of interlock between the blocks to assist in retaining them in their proper locked position as one course of blocks is laid upon the next adjacent lower course of blocks.

The present invention is concerned primarily with the formation of a concrete or cinder block of a generally parallelogram shape, with or without apertures formed therein and with interlocking means formed along the four sides of the block to assist in the proper retention of the blocks when they are laid one course on top of the next lower course in the formation ofa wall or the like.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a block commonly known as a building block which can be employed in the formation of a wall and the like and wherein the employment of an adhesive such as mortar and the like can be completely dispensed with to retain the building blocks in their proper position once the blocks have been laid in courses, one course overlying the next adjacent lower course.

Another object of the invention is to shape a building block generally in the shape of a parallelogram with the outer edges of the blocks adapted to extend in a true vertical line when the blocks are laid in courses in the formation of a wall structure or the like and wherein the upper and lower edges of block extend at an upward angle with respect to the horizontal.

Another object of the invention is to construct a building block of a generally parallelogram shape and wherein the forces of gravity are employed for retaining the courses of blocks in their proper position in the formation of a wall and the like.

A still further object of the invention is to so shape a building block as to enable the same to be employed in the formation of a dwelling and wherein suitable cornerpost structures are employed as to interlock with ends of the blocks adjacent thereto and wherein the courses of blocks employed in the formation of such a dwelling rely substantially on gravitational forces for retaining the courses of blocks in their proper position in the formation ofa dwelling or similar structure.

Another object of the invention is to form a block of a generally parallelogram shape with interlocking means formed thereon so as to assist in the proper retention of the blocks when they are laid one course on top of a lower course and gravitational forces are employed in maintaining the courses of blocks in their proper position without the employment of an adhesive between the blocks to maintain them in their set position in the formation of a wall, dwelling, and the like.

A still further object of the invention is to form a building block which will enable one to erect a wali, dwelling structure, and the like without the employment of an adhesive between the blocks such as mortar, thus reducing materially the costs incurred in the formation of such a wall, dwelling structure and the like.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a perspective view of a dwelling formed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. FIG. 2 discloses a modified form of the invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the wall structure shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a still further modification of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of one type of block constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the block shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of the block shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a section taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 5 looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a modified form of building block. 7

FIG. 10 is a section taken on line III-10 of FIG. 9 looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the block shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. I2 is a bottom plan view of the block shown in FIG. 9, and

FIG. 13 is a section taken through a corner of a dwelling disclosing the manner in which the blocks interlock with a vertical cornerpost.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings, there is shown generally at FIG. ll thereof a dwelling 10 comprising a roof II and walls' I2, only one such wall being shown in the drawings. The roof I1 is of conventional construction and is adapted to be supported by the walls 12. in the conventional manner. As can be appreciated, the dwelling I0 is provided with a conventional foundation, not shown, and on this foundation, a stepped base 13 is secured thereto in any suitable manner. The base 113 may be formed of any known material and is provided with grooves and projections I4 and 15 corresponding to the grooves 16 and projections 17 formed on the undersurface of blocks 18 which are employed in the formation of the wall structure for the dwelling. Referring now to FIG. 9 of the drawings, there is disclosed therein one type of a block which can be employed in the formation of a wall and the like in accordance with the spirit of the present invention.

The blocks 18 can be made of any suitable material, such as wood, concrete, cinder, plastic, etc. The blocks comprise front and rear walls 119 and 20. The blocks are all of uniform thickness and may have cavities 21 formed therein and the walls 19 and 20 extend parallel to one another with the aforesaid cavities formed therebetween. As clearly shown in the drawings, the blocks 18 are of generally parallelogram shape and when the blocks are placed on the stepped base 13, the ends 22 and 23 are disposed on a true vertical line while the upper and lower surfaces 24 and 25 of the blocks are disposed at a slight angle with respect to the base 113 for a purpose to be more fully described hereinafter.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 13 of the drawings, there is shown therein cornerpost structures 26 which can be formed of any suitable material such as concrete, steel and the like. If made of concrete the same can have embedded therein suitable reinforcing elements to give the post the strength required to maintain the dwelling in its erected condition. The cornerposts 26' are provided with grooves 27, 28 which are adapted to receive therein projections 29 which are formed along one end of the blocks 1% so as to form an interlock between these members.

The cornerposts 26 are suitably anchored to the foundation in any known manner and extend to a position closely adjacent the roof ll of the dwelling so as to afford a means for an interlock between the blocks and the cornerposts. While not shown in the drawings, similar posts are installed in the foundation at various locations along the wall of the dwelling where it is desired to form openings in the wall for windows, doors and the like. Of course, such posts would likewise be provided with grooves so as to interlock with the projections on the blocks next adjacent thereto in the manner described above.

As can best be seen in FIG. 9 of the drawings, each block 18 is provided on the lower surface with relatively narrow projections 17 and a wide recess or groove 16 whereas the upper surface of the block is provided with a relatively wide projection 30, a relatively narrow projection 31 and a relatively narrow recess 32 formed therebetween for a purpose to be more fully described hereinafter.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 3 of the drawings, it will be seen that when the blocks are placed one on top of another to form a course of blocks, one of the aforesaid projections 17 on the undersurface of the blocks is adapted to be received in the recess 32 which is formed on the upper surface of the block next below the said block so as to interlock therewith. Also, the groove or recess 16 formed on the undersurface of the block is adapted to receive the relatively wide portion 30 which extends upwardly from the block next underlying the same. Thus, it will be seen that in assembling the blocks in this manner, an interlock is formed between'the courses of blocks so as to retain the blocks in their proper position on the courses formed in erecting a wall structure. In addition, the upper surface of the block 18 is provided with a groove 33 which extends substantially the length of the aforesaid block. This groove 33 is adapted to receive a tongue 34 which is formed on the lower surface of projections 17. Also, a groove 35 is formed on the end of the block opposite the end having the projection 29 so that when the blocks are laid one on top of another to form a course of blocks, the aforementioned tongue-and-groove arrangement 33, 34 and the groove 35 and projection 29 will interfit to form a locking arrangement for the blocks.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. of the drawings, there is shown therein a section taken through the block shown in FIG. 9. As stated previously, the ends 22, 23 of the block 18 are adapted to extend in a true vertical line when the blocks are assembled to form a wall. However, note the inclination of the finished block with respect to a true horizontal which is shown by line 36. With blocks formed in this manner it will be appreciated that when the blocks are placed one on top of another in the manner aforesaid in the formation of a wall, the blocks will be inclined downwardly at one end thereof, thus obviating the need of mortar or other or other adhesive to maintain the blocks in their assembled relationship to one another, but rather, relying on the forces of gravity to retain the blocks in their assembled relationship to one another.

The invention thus far has been described wherein a building block such as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 of the drawings is employed in the formation of a wall structure. Such blocks include relatively wide portions 30 on the upper portion of the block together with a relatively wide groove or recess 16 formed on the undersurface of the block along with relatively narrow projections 17 and 24 formed on the upper and lower surface of the block together with tongue-and-groove formations 29, 35, 33 and 35 to provide an interlocking-type block for the formation of a wall structure such as shown more particularly in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings.

A modified form of block structure is shown in FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the drawings. The block 18' in this modification of the invention is adapted to be formed in the same manner as the block 18 described above and is likewise intended to be used in the same manner as that previously described. The block shown in this modification utilizes a tongue-and-groove arrangement only together with the forces of gravity to retain the blocks in their assembled relationship to one another, again, minus the employment of any adhesive or mortar to maintain the assembled blocks in their assembled relationship to one another.

The block 18' is provided with a tongue-and-groove formation 33', 34' along with side groove 35' and projections 29', all adapted to interlock in the well-known manner when the blocks are laid one on top of another in the formation of courses in erecting a dwelling, wall, and the like.

Referring now to FIG. 8 of the drawings, it will be seen that the block is of generally parallelogram shape with the ends 22, 23' of the block adapted to extend on a true vertical when the blocks are placed one on top of another in the formation of a wall structure or the like such as shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings, with the upper and lower surfaces 24 and 25 disposed at a slight angle with respect to the horizontal line shown at 36. In the fonnation of a wall with the modified fonn of block shown in FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the drawings, the block will be disposed in staggered relationship to one another as shown more clearly at FIG. 4 of the drawings with each block inclined with respect to the horizontal, thus employing gravity forces to assist in retaining the blocks in their proper assembled relationship to one another. Of course, suitable corner and intermediate posts such as previously described are employed with the modified type of block to form a complete dwelling structure. Again, it will be seen that a wall or the like can be erected without the employment of any adhesives such as mortar for retaining the blocks in their assembled relationship, but rather, the forces of gravity are relied upon to retain this relationship.

Referring again to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is disclosed therein a stepped base 13 upon which the lowermost course of blocks are placed and then successive courses are formed to form the wall to the desired height. However, when it is desired to dispense with the employment of a stepped base on a foundation, the blocksforming the lowermost course for the wall may be cut so that the bottom surface of the blocks extend on a true horizontal whereas the upper or top surface of the blocks are disposed at a slight incline as clearly shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, it will be noted that the uppermost course of blocks are cut so as to present a true horizontal supporting surface upon which the usual header plate and rafters are mounted so as to support the roof 1] thereon. Thus, with the blocks disposed at a slight downward incline as described above, the Weight of the roof structure on the wall formation will assist in retaining the assembled blocks in their proper relationship with one another and thus retained without the employment of adhesives, mortar and the like.

In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that a wall, dwelling, and the like can be erected without the employment of an adhesive between the block structures employed with the weight of a roof assisting the gravitational forces acting on the blocks to retain the same in their assembled relationship to one another. As can be appreciated, a completed wall, as aforesaid, may form a finished exterior wall if the outer facing thereof has been properly finished to present an attractive outer appearance. Or, if desired, suitable paints may be applied to the outer facing of the blocks to enhance the appearance thereof. Likewise, the exterior facing of the blocks may be similarly treated so as to present a pleasing appearance.

While it is intended that a wall or dwelling constructed as aforesaid need have no further covering secured thereto to form a completed structure, it is obvious that a suitable outer and/or inner decorative facing may be employed to enhance the appearance of the completed structure.

Many possible modifications will become apparent from the foregoing without departing from the spirit of the invention. However, the foregoing disclosure is presented in an illustrative sense rather than a limiting sense and the appended claims are relied upon to define the scope of the present invention.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A construction element comprising a modular unit of parallelogram configuration, said unit including a top surface having a relatively wide projection at one end of the unit, a narrow projection at the opposite end of said unit with a narrow recess extending between said projections, the bottom surface of said unit having a pair of narrow projections at both ends of the unit with a relatively wide recessed area therebetween, the end walls of said unit adapted to extend on a true vertical line when said unit is placed in an overlapping relationship on a next lower similar unit in the formation of a wall structure with one of the narrow projections on the undersurface of said unit engaging with said narrow recess formed in the upper surface of the next adjacent unit placed thereover and said wide recess on the bottom surface engaging with the wide projection on the upper surface of the next lower unit, the inclination of said units invoking gravitational forces only to retain the units in their assembled relationship with one another.

2. The structure recited in claim 1 wherein said units are each provided with tongue-and-groove members to interlock with one another in the formation of said wall structure.

3. The structure recited in claim 1 wherein a stepped base is employed to support the lowermost set of units employed in the formation of said wall structure.

4. A structure comprising cornerposts extending vertically from a supporting base, grooves formed in the walls of said posts, a stepped base extending between said cornerposts, said base supported on a horizontally extending foundation structure, modular units comprising parallelogram-shaped blocks, said blocks including a top surface having a relatively wide projection at one end thereof and a narrow projection at the opposite end with a narrow recess extending between said projections, the bottom surface of said block having a pair of narrow projections at both ends thereof with a relatively wide recessed area therebetween, the end walls of said blocks adapted to extend on a true vertical line when said block is placed in an overlapping relationship on a next lower similar block in the formation of a wall structure with one of the nar row projections on the undersurface of said block engaging with said narrow recess formed in the upper surface of the next adjacent block placed thereover and said wide recess on the bottom surface engaging with the wide projection on the upper surface of the next lower unit, the blocks next adjacent said posts having tongues formed therein for engagement with said grooves in said posts, the inclination of said units invoking gravitational forces only to retain the units in their assembled relationship with one another.

5. The structure recited in claim 4 wherein a roof structure overlies the uppermost course of units forming the said wall structure, said roof structure adding weight to said courses of units to assist in their retention in assembled relationship with one another. 

1. A construction element comprising a modular unit of parallelogram configuration, said unit including a top surface having a relatively wide projection at one end of the unit, a narrow projection at the opposite end of said unit with a narrow recess extending between said projections, the bottom surface of said unit having a pair of narrow projections at both ends of the unit with a relatively wide recessed area therebetween, the end walls of said unit adapted to extend on a true vertical line when said unit is placed in an overlapping relationship on a next lower similar unit in the formation of a wall structure with one of the narrow projections on the undersurface of said unit engaging with said narrow recess formed in the upper surface of the next adjacent unit placed thereover and said wide recess on the bottom surface engaging with the wide projection on the upper surface of the next lower unit, the inclination of said units invoking gravitational forces only to retain the units in their assembled relationship with one another.
 2. The structure recited in claim 1 wherein said units are each provided with tongue-and-groove members to interlock with one another in the formation of said wall structure.
 3. The structure recited in claim 1 wherein a stepped base is employed to support the lowermost set of units employed in the formation of said wall structure.
 4. A structure comprising cornerposts extending vertically from a supporting base, grooves formed in the walls of said posts, a stepped base extending between said cornerposts, said base supported on a horizontally extending foundation structure, modular units comprising parallelogram-shaped blocks, said blocks including a top surface having a relatively wide projection at one end thereof and a narrow projection at the opposite end with a narrow recess extending between said projections, the bottom surface of said block having a pair of narrow projections at both ends thereof with a relatively wide recessed area therebetween, the end walls of said blocks adapted to extend on a true vertical line when said block is placed in an overlapping relationship on a next lower similar block in the formation of a wall structure with one of the narrow projections on the undersurface of said block engaging with said narrow recess formed in the upper surface of the next adjacent block placed thereover and said wide recess on the bottom surface engaging with the wide projection on the upper surface of the next lower unit, the blocks next adjacent said posts having tongues formed therein for engagement with said grooves in said posts, the inclination of said units invoking gravitational forces only to retain the units in their assembled relationship with one another.
 5. The structure recited in claim 4 wherein a roof structure overlies the uppermost course of units forming the said wall structure, said roof structure adding weight to said courses of units to assist in their retention in assembled relationship with one another. 